Method of ionizing a liquid and an electrostatic colloid thruster implementing such a method

Abstract

A method of ionizing a liquid is disclosed herein. The method includes the steps of dispensing an electrically conductive liquid onto an electrically conductive membrane so as to form a liquid film on the surface of the membrane, applying an electrical charge to the liquid film on the membrane, generating ultrasonic waves to vibrate the membrane so as to induce capillary waves in the liquid film, and electrostatically attracting the electrically charged crests in the capillary waves so that electrically charged droplets are extracted from the capillary waves and accelerated therefrom for emission. The method is generally utile in various applications including, for example, spacecraft propulsion, paint spray techniques, semiconductor fabrication, biomedical processes, and the like. In addition to the above-described method, an electrostatic colloid thruster for implementing the method is disclosed herein as well.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention generally relates to methods of ionizing a liquid. The present invention more particularly relates to methods of ionizing a liquid for the emission of liquid droplets in various applications including, for example, spacecraft propulsion, paint spray techniques, semiconductor fabrication, biomedical processes, and the like.BACKGROUND ART[0002]Enabling a spacecraft to embark on a deep-space mission is generally quite a challenge for aerospace designers and engineers, for they must find a way to equip the spacecraft with enough propulsion capability to successfully travel long distances through space and thereby carry out the mission. In taking on the challenge of providing sufficient propulsion, designers and engineers must generally anticipate the overall mass payload likely to be onboard the spacecraft during the mission and the amount of propellant necessary to support such a payload during flight. Depending on the type of mission, the onb...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Enabling a spacecraft to embark on a deep-space mission is generally quite a challenge for aerospace designers and engineers, for they must find a way to equip the spacecraft with enough propulsion capability to successfully travel long distances through space and thereby carry out the mission.

As a result, a proposed space mission may ultimately be deemed infeasible due to payload capacity and cost design constraints.

To date, however, cryogenic chemical propulsion systems incorporated in rockets, for example, have only been able to produce exhaust velocities approaching 5 kilometers per second (km / s), and storable chemical propulsion systems in use onboard other spacecraft have only been able to produce exhaust velocities that are lower still.

At the same time, a strong electrostatic field is applied at the tip opening of the needle, thereby causing an imbalance of surface force due to the accumulation of charges on the surface of the emitted liquid.

As the jet travels further away from the Taylor cone, the jet eventually becomes unstable and separates into a spray of charged droplets.

Second, electrospray ionization consumes less energy than more conventional methods of electric propulsion.

Despite such benefits, applications of electrostatic colloid thrusters incorporating electrospray technology have primarily been limited to micro and nano-spacecraft and maintaining the precise positions of such spacecraft in space.

Because of inherent onboard space and payload limitations, however, the actual number of capillary needles that can be successfully included aboard such a spacecraft is generally somewhat limited, and hence the number of electrospray-producing Taylor cones that can be sustained onboard is correspondingly limited as well.

As a result, both the propellant mass flow rate and the level of thrust that can be achieved by such a spacecraft are also limited.

Furthermore, such studies have also demonstrated that a liquid Taylor cone, when operating in the cone-jet mode by means of a capillary needle channeling electrolytic fluid in the presence of an electrostatic field, tends to produce a liquid jet that is too stable and thus generally unable to quickly separate into a spray of charged droplets.

As a result, an overall electrospray of particles with highly disparate and non-uniform charge-to-mass ratios is ultimately produced, which is generally undesirable in electric propulsion systems.

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